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Week 12: How I would change the course

While I find organizational culture an interesting subject--and in fact I’ve been studying it for years since I was in a leadership institute and was able to analyze the toxic organizations I worked for--I feel like a lot of that type of content could have been condensed into a week or two. I would have preferred to learn more tools of KM as was written in the course description. This is only my second KM class, so I thought I would use the tools learned in this class to gain more confidence as a KM practitioner, but I feel like I still have no idea the types of KM tools available to me.

I am unapolegetically practical, so learning specific tools would have been really helpful to me. Once I understand the tools, I am good at reading the situation in the room so to speak to know when is the best time to use them instead of just blindly following the textbook.

I did like learning about humble consulting per Schein--I think that is a great concept to carry through in all types of work. It’s helpful to me as I’m a problem solver and just want to jump in sometimes, but he cautions to use a different approach which will be good for me to practice.

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Week 12: Am I helpful?

I like to consider myself a helpful person. I stay out of situations where I feel I can’t be a help knowledge- or skill-wise, but try to offer support in other ways, such as encouragement.

Sometimes, though, I can be too helpful with giving advice when people do not really want it. I’m a pragmatist and want situations solved quickly and do not have a lot of patience for incessant complaining with no action, so I am quick to offer help when it is not wanted.

After reading Schein, I will try to be more humble in my helping efforts, asking more questions about what is desired (or just general questions out of curiosity), in order to be more helpful instead of just pushing my advice onto others.

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Week 11: Collaboration post

Since I work in the nonprofit sector (for a foundation that gives away grant dollars to charitable organizations), my special project is focused on how to create a collaborative group of funders that shares knowledge systematically, or even a funding collaborative.

I chose to reach out to @supergearyame because she has been working in the nonprofit sector for many years. Her perspective on what it is like to be on the receiving end of grant dollars will be extremely helpful to me.

My plan is to:

Create a network analysis map of common grantees among 6-8 funders in the Cleveland area

Perform a small organizational culture assessment for the participating foundations to find common values

Begin mapping knowledge on our common grantees

After that is where I’m stuck and I requested Alana’s help specifically. I would love to have a shared application or a shared reporting system, but with that many diverse opinions on what to include, it has not worked in the past. If anyone else has any ideas, I’d be happy to hear!

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Week 9: Post on peer grading

While the assignment of peer grading was given to us to replace the usual task of being asked to respond to another student’s post, I feel that it is just another form of forced interaction and doesn’t improve upon it. I prefer the assignment to just respond to another’s post because then I can have an actual discussion instead of trying to figure out my grading style and assigning a grade to my classmate which essentially means nothing.

While it is good to learn how to give and receive feedback, I find that peer grading makes me a little more nitpicky than I want to be to a classmate when I just want to enjoy his/her post and engage in a discussion when I feel I have something to say. Perhaps it is because I am an introvert, but I do not like being forced to say anything at all when I do not feel I have anything to contribute to the conversation/discussion. Similar to work meetings--I am comfortable engaging in conversations when I feel it is appropriate, but do not need to always have something to say in every discussion. I feel it to be inefficient and a waste of time.

I feel that although we are not required to engage on one another’s posts, we often do in this course because we are genuinely interested in what our classmates have to say or have some advice to offer.

So, while forced interaction is never fun (especially for an introvert), I do prefer engaging in discussions rather than grading, but peer grading isn’t a terrible thing.

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Week 9: Change is continuous, but varies in size

One of my favorite old adages is “The only constant in life is change”; and although it can be frustrating to deal with, I truly believe change is continuous. Change is always happening, but its intensity (or size of the change) varies. Because of this variability, change is hard to plan out and execute in a sort of fixed-cycle process. This is true in personal lives and in organizational cultures.

A continuous process allows for variability because change can happen incrementally or via a big breakthrough, and I would argue that it allows for setbacks as well. When humans make big changes, they do not do so in same-sized chunks on a fixed timeline. They may even regress. Because each organization has its own personality, a continuous improvement process makes more sense. That is why, when an organization (especially a really large one) is trying to make big changes, the most important factor to consider is the people:

Change is both an institutional journey and a very personal one. People spend many hours each week at work; many think of their colleagues as a second family. Individuals (or teams of individuals) need to know how their work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for them and those around them. Team leaders should be as honest and explicit as possible. People will react to what they see and hear around them, and need to be involved in the change process (Jones, J. et al, 2004).

I am very adamant about helping create a human-centered workplace, because I have worked for supervisors who treat employees like robots. He wanted things done his way and on his timeline. Needless to say, anytime a change was implemented, it was met with resistance and usually unsuccessful. If the change was managed properly and the employees brought in for feedback, as well as allowing for the change to happen on a less fixed timeline, change would have happened more effectively.

Reference List:

Jones, J., Aguirre, D., and Calderone, M. (2004). 10 principles of change management. Strategy+Business. Retrieved from: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/rr00006?gko=643d0

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Week 8: Client Needs Assessment

In order to determine a client’s needs, one of the first things you should do is find the client’s organizational pain. You can ask them what their needs are and go from there, but maybe there are needs they do not know they have or cannot articulate. To find those needs, it takes some empathy, educated guessing, and humble inquiry in the style of Schein in order to perform “pain spotting”.

Pain spotting is a concept from Liz Ryan of the Human Workplace--her advice is to ask a person what keeps them up at night. Although she writes advice for job seekers, her suggestions are extremely helpful for consultants as well:

“ Use your right brain. Real life, including business, is not school. There is no x + y = z chart to tell you the right answer when it comes to spotting business pain. Your experience, judgment and instinct will guide you, instead, and luckily these are the very muscles we need to grow for the new-millennium workplace! “ (2014).

Assessing a client’s needs takes certain skills, but mostly it takes a lot of practice and thinking outside the box instead of ticking off boxes. While organizational assessments can be helpful, I do not believe they should be the first tool you reach for before having a conversation or two with the client. Once pain/needs are articulated, then you can reach into your tool kit for assessments or other methods to see how deep the needs are and how to solve them.

Reference List:

Ryan, L. (July 24, 2014). Spot the pain and get the job. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140724044751-52594-spot-the-pain-and-get-the-job

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Week 7: Improving Credibility

After completing a gap analysis on my own credibility as a leader, it is clear that I need to work on gaining more confidence while at the same time taking things less personally in order to be more credible. I believe these two go hand-in-hand. While I take my work very seriously and am happy with my results, I lack some confidence--so if my work is critiqued, I tend to take it very personally and sometimes get defensive.

In order to gain confidence, and thus improve my credibility, I will:

Look at the facts of the situation rather than invent fears with no basis in reality

Remember I have the skills to cope, and face the fears of my choosing to gain self-confidence

Slowly stretch myself out of my comfort zone

Once I gain more confidence, I will be less defensive because my insecurities will not shine through.

It is easier said than done--increasing confidence for an insecure person is a daunting task. It is another thing to be afraid of. However, looking back over my career path, I realize that right now I am the most confident I have ever been. It is not because I know everything (because I don’t and admit to it), but I am in a comfortable environment where it is okay to be myself. I do not have to pretend to be someone that a toxic organization wants me to be, like I have had to in the past. I hope to see my confidence grow as I learn more and keep challenging myself!

Reference List:

Forbes.com (2017). 10 steps to more confidence at work. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/pictures/eggj45lhj/10-steps-to-more-confidence-at-work/#2c7abe5c5d98

Tobak, S. (June 12, 2013). 10 ways you’re killing your credibility. Inc. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/10-ways-youre-killing-your-credibility.html

Whitehurst, J. (May 20, 2015). How to earn respect as a leader. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/05/how-to-earn-respect-as-a-leader

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Week 6: How work is defined at my organization

At my foundation, work is defined as doing what needs to be done in order to meet your yearly individual goals, as well as the overall organizational goals, by the agreed-upon deadlines. These goals are set so that we can advance the work of the foundation to better serve the community. We do not measure each other’s work by how busy a person appears to be, although we are all busy.

Yes, some could argue that there are too many team meetings (or meetings in general), and also that we talk about things too much instead of doing. That is a valid point because sometimes I would rather be doing things than discussing the doing of the things.

However, we spend time on this because we want our work to be meaningful to not only us as workers, but to the community as a whole. We talk about our work because we are not just ticking items off of a to-do list. We want to understand if that was the best we could do, or if we could it better the next time--and if so, how? We value a culture of learning--about important topics as well as about our organizational culture--to make our work meaningful. We believe that if it’s meaningful, then it’s more effective.

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Thoughts on Tumblr

At first I liked the format, but now I’m finding it’s hard to keep up with the new posts from class or people writing notes on my posts. So forgive me if I seemingly ignore them!

Stuff just gets mixed in with these random posts Tumblr is showing me. I delete them but more keep coming. And I try to follow the class hashtag, but I don’t think every post shows up when I search it.

Anyone else frustrated? I feel like I’m missing everything. Maybe I’m doing it wrong!

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Week 4--Humble Consulting is NOT Brainstorming

Edgar Schein’s humble consulting methodology is not a form of brainstorming. Brainstorming is a no-holds-barred, say every idea you have, “there are no stupid answers” type of exercise. Schein’s humble consulting is reserved, careful, tactical, and sometimes does not even offer a solution to the client as the client derives a solution for himself.

Schein’s approach is personalized. The three components of his “HC attitude” (2016, p. 76) do not read like brainstorming because of the attention put into the problem, not the solution:

Commitment--you have to be emotionally ready to want to help (Schein, 2016, p. 76)

Curiosity--you have to know “Who is this person?” and “What is the situation?” (Schein, 2016, p. 77)

Caring--you have to get personal as quickly as possible (Schein, 2016, p. 77)

Schein further explains different ways to respond to a client, and the responses are centered around asking different types of questions (diagnostic inquiry, circular questions and process focus, suggestive inquiry, process-oriented inquiry) rather than offering solutions (2016, p. 81-85).

Therefore, since Schein focuses more on the problem and less on the various solutions he can envision, his approach to consulting is not a form of brainstorming.

Reference List:

Schein, E.H. (2016). Humble Consulting: How to provide real help faster. Oakland: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

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Week 4--Brainstorming and Critical Thinking

Brainstorming, if used effectively, most definitely is a process in which you can practice critical thinking, so these two concepts are linked.

Critical thinking can be defined as conceptualizing and evaluating information in a disciplined way (QualiaSoup, 2009). Brainstorming involves--either as an individual or group--coming up with many creative solutions to a problem using lateral thinking (Mind Tools, n.d.). But that is not the part where critical thinking comes in.

Critical thinking in a brainstorming exercise appears after the initial brainstorming session, for what good is generating many new ideas if none are put to use?

An individual or group will use critical thinking after brainstorming to:

Analyze the ideas/solutions presented

Reject any solutions that are implausible

Evaluate the remaining solutions for feasibility

Rank order the solutions

Generate ways to implement some of the top solutions

While the act of brainstorming itself is not a direct example of critical thinking, the concepts are linked because one should use critical thinking to analyze the results of the brainstorming exercise.

Reference List:

Critical Thinking [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg

Mind Tools Editorial Team, (n.d.). Brainstorming. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/brainstm.html

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Wk 4 Special Project Update // Summers

What is your special project topic?

I will focus on increasing the impact of philanthropic dollars within the Cleveland/Northeast Ohio community.

What is the problem you’re trying to solve?

While foundations/funders support the same nonprofit organizations and projects, and some progress is made against the devastating effects of poverty, the investments seem to have little return.

What will my final output/product be?

I will create a written plan on how to use KM practices and tools to build a collaborative effort among funders.

Here is a link to my MindMap: https://atlas.mindmup.com/2017/06/cfee80b051ee11e79bab27ff5a1a1f49/km_in_philanthropy_collaboration_clevel/index.html

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Week 3: Correlation between MBTI and preferred strategy

My ISFJ-T personality is a great match for Porter’s planful Generic Strategies because one of the strengths of the ISFJ type is being “meticulous and careful, taking a steady approach” to projects (16personalities.com).

ISFJ types, while observant and imaginative, do not shy away from the mundane details of work, and carefully planning a strategy can be just that. While I can be flexible and adaptive to changing needs, as that is when true strategy emerges according to Mintzberg, I am the person that needs a detailed plan first and foremost. The Generic Strategies resonates with my meticulousness.

An example of this is when I have to drive to an unfamiliar place downtown: instead of just plugging the address into my GPS when I get into my car, I look up the directions well in advance. However, even crazier, I use Google Earth and Street View to see which building it is and where is the best place to park, how much it might cost, and how far it is to walk from the parking lot to the building, and in which direction, and what landmarks are along the way. Being this well-prepared eases my anxiety about the new situation and gives me more confidence. Thus, coming up with a strategic direction per Porter correlates very well with my personality type.

Reference list:

16Personalities. Defender Strengths and Weaknesses. https://www.16personalities.com/isfj-strengths-and-weaknesses

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Week 3: Which approach to strategy resonates more with me and why.

Porter’s Generic Strategies resonates with me more because I believe that organizations fail when they try to provide all things to all people. It is just not possible to do well. Specialization based on strengths is important to success.

While I appreciate and believe Mintzberg’s theory that not all strategies can be planned for and some just emerge from changing market forces, an organization has to start somewhere instead of waiting for an insight. Porter’s Generic Strategies provides the basis for an organization to analyze itself and figure out which approach will be the most successful. Yes, some strategies will emerge as Mintzberg says, but an organization needs to start somewhere. A good starting point is an honest SWOT (Strength/Weakness/Opportunity/Threat) Analysis of the organization and an analysis of the industry in general. Where does the organization fit in? The strengths and weaknesses of the organization will show a strategic direction, and give you some ground to run on while other strategies will likely emerge.

Reference List:

Mind Tools. Porter’s Generic Strategies. https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_82.htm

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Week 2: My KM Special Project

My special project is the reason why I am enrolled in the Knowledge Management graduate certificate program here. I want to figure out ways that KM can help increase the impact of philanthropic dollars to nonprofits who provide direct services to those in need.

A lot of the KM literature focuses on for-profit organizations, especially large multinational ones, and there is nothing wrong with that. Those companies provide many essential services to how people live and KM efforts at those companies improve service for all of us. But since my MBTI type is ISFJ, the “Defender”, I want to figure out how to help those who are in systemic poverty. I want to improve KM not just in one organization, but in a collaborative effort of many smaller organizations.

Currently, there are many foundations and private donors giving philanthropic dollars to a diaspora of nonprofit organizations. And while we at foundations work together in some ways, I feel that--at least in Cleveland--there is no protocol in what information/knowledge is shared, how it is shared, or how impact is measured. We support the same organizations, but there is always more need year after year. Wins are small. Efforts are unsustainable without foundation dollars, but our endowment is shrinking.

One way I am trying to solve this problem is convening a Community of Practice for colleagues in Grants Management or grantmaking support type roles in other foundations across Northeast Ohio. We hardly know each other and only meet at conferences once a year. We have our first meeting in three weeks and I am excited to see where this can lead!

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Week 2: What is KM Strategy?

As I stated in my earlier post, the MBTI test gave me the tools to be more introspective in order to figure out the best career path for myself. It helped give me a direction. I wish there were a similar type-indicator test for organizations who need to develop a Knowledge Management strategy!

What I mean by that is, such as there are many careers in the world (especially in the information age), there are equally as many strategies to implement/improve Knowledge Management in an organization! Organizations have specific personalities (what we like to call organizational culture) as well as specific business objectives, so an appropriate KM strategy needs to be crafted to fit those aspects in order to be successful. If Company X just copies the KM strategy from Company Y, the result will more than likely be failure because they are not identical organizations.

While there is no MBTI test for organizations, there are ways to analyze the organizational culture and objectives in order to craft strategy. Knox Haggie and John Kingston, in their article Choosing Your Knowledge Management Strategy (2003), argue that the staff of the organization can gather together and ask each other open-ended questions such as:

-What do you hope to achieve through knowledge management? -What applications do you think you need? -Do you plan to analyse existing knowledge or to create new knowledge?

(p. 13-14).

Many organizations go through formal “strategic planning” and may spend a lot of money on a consultant to assist them through the process. A similar process needs to be followed for Knowledge Management strategic planning in order to achieve the strategy that fits the organization perfectly.

Reference List

Haggie, K. and Kingston, J. (2003). Choosing your knowledge management strategy. Journal of Knowledge Management Practice. http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/publications/online/0258.pdf

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Week 2: What I Learned from the MBTI

I really enjoy taking the Mybers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. The results have evolved for me over the years, but only slightly.

A few years ago, I took several versions and always tested as an INFJ--which really fit me to a T. The results and the description of INFJ really helped me through a difficult time in my life. I was in a job that sounded perfect on paper for the me-that-I-thought-I-was, but felt incredibly unhappy in that role and wanted to investigate that. After figuring out I was an INFJ, I could see that there were parts of my personality that I was not acknowledging and how they were not compatible with what I thought I wanted in a career. The MBTI test results helped me become more introspective and land the career that is perfect for me right now.

Interestingly, though, my most recent results have changed slightly to ISFJ. To be truthful, my results were always pretty middle ground in regards to the Intuition/Sensing (N/S) so it could have gone either way. I feel that this result is also pretty accurate, especially in the summary: “Though sensitive, Defenders have excellent analytical abilities; though reserved, they have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships; and though they are generally a conservative type, Defenders are often receptive to change and new ideas” (16personalities.com). And I am definitely always on the road to Constant Improvement as it notes below!

What I think is really interesting is the addition of the -T to my results for Turbulent, meaning “individuals are self-conscious and sensitive to stress. They are likely to experience a wide range of emotions and to be success-driven, perfectionistic and eager to improve” (16personalities.com). While I don’t like to be called “turbulent”, it is the unfortunate truth! I have been very stressed lately due to my perfectionism and wanting to complete many big projects by the time my baby is due in August, so this is the perfect description for me, especially at this moment.

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